'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2' review

Published Jul 8 2011, 00:00 BST  |  By Simon Reynolds

Warning: This review contains spoilers that some readers may prefer to avoid.

"It all ends." That's the message delivered by the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 marketing blitz. Hollywood's endless factory line of sequels, rehashing of ideas and exhuming of dormant franchises to rake in the box office dollars has lent a soap opera feel to blockbuster season. The likes of X-Men, Indiana Jones and Spider-Man go on and on but are their backers brave enough to bring them to an end? For Harry Potter and Warner Bros, there is no option to continue - for now, this has to be it. JK Rowling's final Harry Potter novel The Deathly Hallows was split down the middle for its big screen adaptation, and as Part 2 draws closer, excitement among the boy wizard's loyal following is reaching fever pitch.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 stands as a spectacular closing chapter to the wizard saga, packed with breathtaking action sequences and moving performances from Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. It's an emotional farewell for fans of JK Rowling's fantasy world, but also one that's easily accessible to those who don't know their Muggles from Moaning Myrtles. The story, adapted by long-time Potter screenwriter Steve Kloves, is the most direct of the series, tasking Harry with finding and destroying Voldemort's (Ralph Fiennes) remaining Horcruxes (objects containing pieces of his soul) to defeat the Dark Lord.

Director David Yates launches the action swiftly, setting the lead trio off to infiltrate Gringotts vault and retrieve a Horcrux. The sequence is deftly punctuated with snippets of humour, as Hermione takes on the form of Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) to get past the guards. These lighter moments laced throughout are much-needed as events take an intense, dark turn when the weakening Voldemort assembles his army to lay siege to Hogwarts.

From there, it's backs-against-the-wall Brit spirit with the devastating attacks laying waste to the iconic school. Heroes emerge (notably Matthew Lewis's Neville Longbottom) and familiar faces bite the dust amidst the breathtaking spectacle. It's Harry Potter as a full-tilt action picture, yet unlike the mind-numbing action of Transformers, here you feel totally invested in the protagonists' plight.

Through flashback montage, Yates illustrates the life of Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) and flips his supposed betrayal of Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) in The Half-Blood Prince on its head. It's a key sequence in the film and, perhaps, its best. Snape's relationship with Harry's parents James and Lily Potter goes under the microscope, providing an avenue for Rickman to add layers of depth to his character. Rickman is outstanding here, but the real star is Radcliffe, carrying the movie on his shoulders as the narrative barrels towards its conclusion. Harry's final showdown with Voldemort has him giving his best performance of the series - long forgotten is the awkwardness apparent in Philosopher's Stone and Chamber of Secrets.

Deathly Hallows: Part 2 stumbles somewhat in scenes where Harry is reunited with Dumbledore (taken from the book, it should be noted). The pace drags in these exchanges and the visualisation of the limbo state is a little obvious, but it's a rare fumble in a film that's packed with passion and exhilarating storytelling. The much-talked-about epilogue scene, in which events come full-circle, is a low-key send-off, yet it underlines the breadth and depth in Rowling's universe. There may be further Harry Potter stories one day, but when it ends this perfectly why risk spoiling it with more?

Watch the trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 below:



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